If you’ve missed out in the public ballot and don’t fancy joining the large queues on match day, your best bet for purchasing Wimbledon tennis championships tickets is buying them from registered debenture holders.
A packed centre court at Wimbledon (Photo: Rian (Ree) Saunders via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Debenture holders pay a (hefty) up-front fee to guarantee reserved seats for a set number of days’ play, along with other privileges such as exclusive lounge and restaurant access, and the chance to buy tickets for the final days of the tournament. However, debentures are also the only Wimbledon tickets that can be legally resold, allowing people to purchase tickets from debenture holders on days they’re unable to attend themselves. Resold debenture tickets often trade for significantly over their issue price, but if you’re willing to pay for the privilege, then it’s a reliable way of securing tickets. There are a number of ways to buy debenture tickets, and here are three of the best.
Viagogo
Viagogo is a highly reputable peer-to-peer ticket resale and exchange platform and our favourite pick for finding Wimbledon debenture tickets. The website is easy to use and if you book more than one ticket, the seats are guaranteed to be alongside each other, so you won’t be separated from your family or friends. Tickets can be issued electronically to be stored on your phone or printed, so you don’t need to worry about them getting lost in transit.
When it comes to availability, during our search for tickets, we found a wide selection on offer, with prices starting at around £1,260 for a match on Court 1 in the early stages of the tournament. However, for more prestigious clashes on Centre Court, especially as the competition reaches its climax, prices start to climb significantly, with tickets for the Final available for pushing £6,000. Buyers should also be aware that there are some add-on costs, including having to pay 20%-30% of the total ticket price in fees.
Wimbledon Debenture Holders
Established back in 2006, the Wimbledon Debenture Holders agency is one of the most reputable resources for buying Wimbledon tickets on the secondary market – and is widely acknowledged as offering the best seats available at the world-famous tournament. Those who hold debenture receive their tickets in May each year, and then pass them on to the official Wimbledon Debenture Holders channels to manage and process them being resold. This also ensures that tickets can be verified before they are passed on, eliminating the risk of fakes, which is not always the case with peer-to-peer websites. Resold tickets can be purchased online or on the telephone, and are delivered to customers by early June.
Book at Wimbledondebentureholders.com
StubHub International
A peer-to-peer online ticket exchange service, StubHub International allows you to buy resold tickets for sporting and entertainment events across the globe. Sellers can price tickets as they choose, but usefully the website lets you view the face value cost of each ticket so you can compare. Buyers can request for tickets to be delivered physically, as print-at-home, or directly to your mobile as e-tickets. When we searched for Wimbledon debenture tickets, we found options starting at £418 for a day’s play, rising up to £4,750 for tickets to the Final. Additional fees for service, delivery and VAT tended to be around £100 per ticket, but to avoid you getting caught out, there’s a slider that lets you see the full cost before you book. StubHub also offers a FanProtect Guarantee policy.